Kellogg Foundation Awards $4.7 Million to Promote Racial Equality

July 30, 2015

The has announced grants totaling $4.7 million to community organizations in Mississippi and New Orleans working to promote racial equity and healing and eliminate barriers to success for young men and boys of color.

Two community-based nonprofits in Mississippi working in partnership with several other organizations and eight organizations in New Orleans will receive grants ranging from $150,000 to $1 million in support of their efforts to improve outcomes for young men and boys of color. In Mississippi, the was awarded $1 million for a pilot program that will promote racial equity in school discipline practices, while will receive $1 million in support of its efforts to eliminate unduly harsh school disciplinary measures that disproportionately affect students of color.

In New Orleans, recipients include the , which was awarded $450,000 to prepare interns for employment in the growing New Orleans media and production sector; , which will receive $150,000 in support of its efforts to develop, design, and facilitate programs for youth who are currently in the New Orleans criminal justice system; the , which was awarded $450,000 for a program that employs young men of color who have been involved in the justice system; and , which will receive $450,000 to boost support to members of its alumni network through a three-phase approach that incorporates training, employment resources, and leadership development.

The investments announced by the foundation grew out of its involvement in the Executives' Alliance for Men and Boys of Color, a network of more than forty national, regional, and community foundations working together to help young men and boys of color reach their full potential in life. "Young men and boys of color have enormous potential and deserve equitable opportunities to succeed," said WKKF president and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron. "We believe that these smart, creative, and dedicated young men will be the next generation of leaders for their families, communities, states, and the nation."